Eastern Idaho Man Sentenced for Perjury
(KLIX) – An eastern Idaho man was recently sentenced in court for perjury.
Jason G. Smith, 47, of Idaho Falls was sentenced on Friday in Fourth District Court, according to Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. He pleaded guilty to one count in April.
Judge Jason Scott sentenced Smith to a prison sentence of one year, and then commuted the sentence to 60 days in jail, according to a news release by Wasden’s office. The jail time can be served with work release.
Smith also was ordered to pay court costs, and the court may impose restitution at a later date.
Wasden said that Smith was injured on the job in 2014 when a piece of hot welding material landed in his ear.
His injury was real and he received worker’s compensation benefits. Ultimately, however, the Idaho Industrial Commission believed Smith later exaggerated his injuries.
During surveillance investigators observed Smith driving on two occasions around the same time he’d told doctors that he could not drive due to his injuries.
“While under oath during a deposition," reads the news release, "the defendant perjured himself by misrepresenting his ability to drive.”